Separator



E. P. WORTHEN ET AL SEPARATOR April 13, 1948.

Original Filed May 27,1942 4 Sheets-Sheet'1 April 1943- E. P, WORTHEN ETAL 2,439,536

SEPARATOR- Original Filed May z'i, 1942 4 Sheet's-Sheet'Z I Q g Q Q Q ax E? -59 QESMM and Fe Eff $301360 April 1948. E. P. WORTHEN -EI'AL 2,439,536

SEPARATOR Opiginal Filed May 27, 1942 4 Sheets- Sheet 3 lE-Wr6i fia'rbozh-m p 1943- I E. P. WO'RTHEN ETAL 2,439,536

SEPAHATOR Original Filed May 27, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fame]? 5*.

UNITED uS'TATE Patented Apr. 13, 1948 SEPARATOR Eugene Porter Worthen, Braintree, Fennel Smith.

Barbour, Wollaston, and Stephen Roger Putnam, North Quincy, Mass asslgnors, by mesne assignments, to Buena Vista Iron Uompany, a

corporation of-New Jersey Original application May .27, 1942, .Serial: No.

v j 444;6716. Divided and this application June 7,

sage through the separator.

1944, Serial No. 539,214

This invention relates to improvements in purifiers or separators of the internal type employed in boilers and other containers, such as evaporating and clist-illi-n apparatus, and the like.

The present application isa divisional appli-- cation of our copending application Serial No. 444,676, filed May 27, 1942, new Patent No. 2,368 .588 January 30, 1945.

The invention relates more particularly to changes and improvements in the separating elements of such a separator and in the general design thereof aifecting the discharge and return of the entrained liquids and detritus to its vapor generating source.

We have found that by providing'the entrance separating elements with their free discharge direct to the vapor generating source that the largest part of the entrained liquid and particularly of the entrained solid detritus is therein eliminated from -the generated vapor, which leaves the interior separating elements free of flooding and therefore more eflicient in its final purification of the generated vapor "in the pasthat it is most important that the advancing flow of saturated vapor through the separator should at no time meet opposed surfaces that would tend to create further atomization of the entrained liquid droplets. 'io satisfy this condition we have provided entrapping iorewa'lls with thin edges, and we direct the flow at all other points to meet surfaces at a lowan-gle of incidence.

Therefore the main object of our invention is to provide in a separator novel separating elements of high efficiency for eiieoting entrain ment and discharge of liquids containing detritus and dissolved solids from flowin vapor rapidly with respect to their extent and without atomization within the vapor stream.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following desoriptiontwherein reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of our invention and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the separator unit;

Fig. 2 is a section taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1 viewed in the direction of the arrows,

and with certain of the division plates removed;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the lines 3 3 of Figure 2 viewed in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 isa left end side elevation.-

We have also found 1 Claim. (Cl. 183-111) Refeming now to Figures lto 4, inclusive, of the drawings, the-numeral l'll designates t-heseparator unit comprising a casing H preferably made-of hrass piateshrazedtogether. The casing His a box-likestruomre comprising the separating compartment l2 and the'casing structure IS.

The separating compartment 12 is a built-up struetureeomprising -a-1tfop 'plate 44, drain plate t5, side plates 18, front plate l-I, splash plate 18, (division plates l9, division plates 20, and bafile hooks Ti, 22, and 23, -The top plate l4 and the drain plate l5 haveprovided therein :a plurality of spaced s lots uiFig-urefll. Thedivision plates 13 and 12:: have along their top and bo'ttom edges lugs 25 spaced lengthwise to regist'er with the By placing the lugs 25 in their respectire slots, and bending them over and brazing them in place, as shown in Figure 3 at 2%, the division plates 19 and 2 0 are held in alternate spaced vertical parallel relation between the top plate M and the drain plate '15. The drain plate is is also provide'd with openings 2 along the rear edge tor a purpose to be hereinafter de scribed. The halite hooks 21, 22, and 23 are banned to the inner sidesof the side plates H5 and to rsides of the-division plates 19 and Zflfiin alternate staggered relationship. The baffle hooks '21 are positioned in the inlet opening 28 of the separating compartment l2 and extend vertically between the top-plate M and the splash plate H3. The intet opening 28 is preferably in height two-thirds that of the separating compartment :42. splash plate 18 is provided with openings 29in registry with and is brazed at thebottom ends of the 'bafile hooks 2 for a purposetotbe hereinafiterdesclihed. The front plate llfis :set in from the :frontedges of the top, drain, and-side :olates a distance equal to the width of the splash plate irll fora purpose to be hereinafter described The baffle :hooks 22 and 22% extend betweenthe top plate is and the drain plate '15;

'Itwiil be noted that the division plates l9 and 26 with sid-explates lfi form a series of vertical parallel narrow passageways :"Sflextending from thefront tothe rear of the'separating oompartmentli. 'Itwill alsohe notedfthat the alternate :staggeredipositionmg of the baffle hooks between .theseplates forms a simmuscontinuouspassageway somewhat as indicatedby the dot-and cla-sh line hflof Figure 2, and that opposed to each turn of the sinuous passageway are fcrew-alis iii of eachof the harm: hooks. The bafile hooks El and 22 each have-attaching walls 32' while bafiie hooks lthaveattaching walls 33 and rear hook 3 walls 34 and 35. In each case the forewalls are spaced from and joined to the attaching walls by an integral sloping wall 36. The forewalls and attaching walls are parallel toeach other and to the division walls and side walls. There is thus formed between the baffle hooks and the walls to which they are attached right trapeziumshaped pockets 31 having their acute angled end closed. The slope of the walls 36 with respect to the division walls and side walls, to which they are respectively attached, is preferably of the order of approximately one-third of a right-angle for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The top ends of the hook baflles 22 and 23 rest against the top plate l4, while their lower ends rest upon the drain plate l5, whereby the pocket-s 31 and 38 formed by the walls 3| and 36 and walls 34 and 35, respectively, are open only along their front right-angled vertical face. The pockets 39 formed by the walls 3| and 36 of the hook baiiies 2| are likewise open along their front right-angled vertical face, and by reason of the openings 29 in the splash plate l8 are open at their lower ends. It will be noted that the preferred narrowwise width of the pockets 31 and 38 is approximately.

that of one-half of the width of space between adjacent division wall-s, and that the open width of the pockets 39 is approximately that of the width of space between adjacent division walls, whereby the respective forewalls are practically in line along the centerline between any two division walls. The significance of the specific design of the baflle hooks 2|, 22, and 23 and their relation to adjacent elements will be more fully described hereinafter.

The casing structure I 3 is a built-up structure and forms a mounting for the separating compartment l2 and in conjunction therewith establishes a settling chamber 4|] within the separating compartment l2, and a drain pot chamber 4| just below the separating compartment I2. The casing structure l3 comprises case side plates 42, back plate 43, bottom plate 44, drain pot front plate 45, baflle flange 46, case front lower flange 41. case front side flanges 48, case front top flange 43, top attaching flange 50, side attaching flanges supports 52, lower attaching flanges 53, and drain pipe bosses 54. The case side plates 42, together with flanges 41, 48, and 49 re-enforced by the flanges 56, 5| and front plate 45 form a frame within which, when the separating compartment l2 and the casing structure 13 are assembled together, the front end of the separating compartment 2 is supported. When thus assembled the rear end of the separating compartment I2 is supported upon the bottom plate 44 through the intermediary supports 52.

The drain pot chamber 4| is enclosed-by the case side plates 42, back plate 43, bottom plate 44, and drain pot front plate 45 of the casing structure l3, and by the drain plate I5 of the separating compartment l2. The rear of the settling chamber 46 is communicated with the rear of the drain pot chamber 4| by way of the openings 21 in the rear edge of the drain plate l5, and by way of a, dished channel 55 formed in the back plate 43. Bolt holes 56 in the attaching flanges 56, 5|, and 53, and in back plate 43 provide means for mounting the separator unit the rear closing wall of the settling chamber 40.

We will now describe the operation of our improved separator.

As already set forth hereinbefore we have provided in our separator a large number of separating elements mounted upon vertical division walls in such a manner'that vapor passing through the separator from its inlet to its outlet is forced to travel in comparatively thin vertical streams between the division walls and by reason of the staggered positioning of the separating elements the thin vertical streams are constrained to travel a gently sinuous path of shallow corrugated crosssection. This sinuous path is further characterized in that by reason of the length of the forewalls 3|, of the sloping walls 36, and of the length of division wall between each successive bafiie hook the sinuous path is one broadly of a succession of short straight sections of flow alternately parallel to and sloped to the through-flow line.

These short straight sections of flow are important since they tend toproject the entrained droplets and detritus quickly into the pockets from forward parallel flow and from the sloping flow the droplets are projected against'the walls at a low angle of incidence so that atomization is minimized and the water attaches itself as a film to the Wall surfaces and under the influence of the vapor flow is forced into the angle of the trapezium-shaped pockets where, the vapor flow being neutralized, the gathered liquid flows downward by force of gravity. It will also be noted that the advancing flow of saturated vapor through the separator at no time meets opposed surfaces to create atomization of the water droplets. Only the thin edges of the forewalls are opposed at a normal angle, the flow at all other point-s meets surfaces at a low angle of incidence. It should also be noted that the angle at which the outer surface of the baffle hooks change is so gradual that the water film thereon is not blown off to re-enter the vapor stream but adheres as a film on the walls until gathered in the neutral angles of the pockets.

Our separator is also characterized by plural qualitative drains, As hereinbefore set forth the entrance baiile hooks 2| set off pockets 39 which are adapted to discharge from their bottom ends through openings in the splash plate I8 directly downward. The remaining interior separating elements as hereinbefore set forth, are adapted to drain from their bottom ends onto a drain plate, and discharge from the rear of the drain plate into a drain pot and thence downward by pipe. Another feature, also hereinbefore set forth, is in setting oif a lower third of the interior separating elements by means of front and rear walls to form a settling chamber of neutralized vapor flow to facilitate the drainage of the liquid entrained therein.

These features of plural qualitative drainage are very important and are the result of considerable experimentation and development work. We have found that in the usual design of separators with a single discharge means the greater proportion of entrained liquid and detritus extracted occurs in the first line of separating elements and that the flooding of these first separating elements detracts from the efficiency of the succeeding separating elements and from the efiiciency of the separator as a whole. By assuring rapid and thorough drainage of the first line of separating elements the remaining ones are more effective in purifying the vapor stream. Furthermore, drainage of the latter separating elements and the thoroughness of purification was found advanced by the provision of the settling chamber protected from the passing vapor stream and by having its liquid discharge only at the rear thereof. This latter arrangement was found to preclude picking up and carrying onward to the condensers moisture from the last rows of separating elements due to circulating currents of vapor.

Although we have described and illustrated our invention in considerable detail, we do not Wish to be limited to the exact and specific details thereof as shown and described, but may use such modifications in, substitutions for, or equivalent thereof, as are embraced within the scope of our invention, or as are pointed out in the claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A vapor separator unit comprising a casing having a top wall, side walls, and a bottom drain plate and vertical division walls defining a plurality of narrow conduits each having a vapor inlet front end and a vapor discharge rear end, each said conduit comprising a plurality of comparatively narrow flat liquid-intercepting forewalls disposed in spaced vertical flat-wise approximate alignment with the center-line plane of said conduit, each of said forewalls having an unattached front edge directed toward said vapor inlet front end, the rear edges of each of said 3O forewalls being attached alternately to opposed adjacent division walls by a connecting wall forming an angle with either face of its respective forewall greater than a right angle, having a low angle of incidence to said division walls whereby liquid-intercepting pockets are formed vertically on said conduit walls, individual drain means for each first one of said pockets for discharging liquid entrained therein, and collectve drain means for all remaining of said pockets for discharging separately the liquid entrained therein, said collective drain means comprising front and rear walls forming a settling chamber enclosing the lower ends of said remaining of said pockets, drainage Openings along the rear edge of said drain plate, and a drain pot adapted to,

receive the entrained liquid from said settling chamber and to discharge it therefrom.

EUGENE PORTER WORTHEN. FENNER, SMITH BARBOUR. STEPHEN ROGER PUTNAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATEF3 PATENTS Number Name Date 1,603,878 Smith Oct. 19, 1926 1,928,706 Sillers Oct, 3, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 649,948 France Sept. 10, 1928 222,778 Germany June 4, 1910 11,109 Norway Feb. 10, 1902 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,439,536.

EUGENE PORTER WORTHEN ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Column 6, lines 1 and 2, strike out having a low angle of incidence to said division walls; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of June, A. D. 1948.

April 13, 1948.

[sun] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Uommissioner 0 Patents. 

